Arsenal maintained their Premier League title hopes alive with a 5-1 thrashing of struggling Manchester City, as the troubled champions suffered another humiliation in a disastrous season. Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal did not have a margin for error in the title race after Liverpool won 2-0 at Bournemouth on Saturday, moving nine points ahead of the Gunners.
They rose to the challenge on Sunday with a blazing performance at the Emirates Stadium, sparked by captain Martin Odegaard’s opening goal after 103 seconds. Erling Haaland equalized for City shortly after halftime, scoring his 25th goal in every league this season. However, the careless errors that have plagued City throughout a dismal season proved crucial when Thomas Partey capitalized on Phil Foden’s poor pass to restore Arsenal’s advantage. Myles Lewis-Skelly’s first Arsenal goal, along with late strikes from Kai Havertz and Ethan Nwaneri, capped a masterful performance that moved the Gunners within six points of Liverpool.
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Arsenal moved to within six points of Premier League leaders Liverpool
Liverpool’s game in hand keeps them in command of the title race. But Arsenal’s impressive performance stretched their unbeaten streak to 14 games and demonstrated their desire to take the Reds to the finish line. Arsenal has 50 points from 24 games, while Liverpool leads with 56 from 23. Manchester City is a distant fourth, with 41.
City have now lost all four league meetings with Arsenal, bringing their six-game unbeaten streak in the Premier League to an end. City’s hopes for a fifth consecutive title have been dashed after a disastrous season, and manager Pep Guardiola’s fourth-placed team is now focused on competing for the Champions League. But even that, let alone defeating Real Madrid in this season’s playoff round, may be beyond them unless Guardiola can plug the gaping holes within his defense and restore energy to his midfield. “Was a top game and a top performance,” Odegaard said. “With the fans, the atmosphere, and a result like that, it can’t get any better.
